wendy is a researcher and evaluator with expertise in demography, health and public policy. she is also principal of wrs consulting and an adjunct lecturer in international and public affairs at brown university. before founding verge, she spent 25 years in the global reproductive health and justice movement, including more than a decade at gynuity health projects as a director and senior consulting associate. while at gynuity, she conducted innovative clinical trials, social science research and program assessments, helping develop the organization’s evaluation portfolio and its work on a potential new service option in the us known as “missed period pills.”

prior to joining gynuity, she worked at planned parenthood global, where she oversaw monitoring and evaluation of reproductive health programs in more than 20 countries; and at the william and flora hewlett foundation, where she was a program officer for population, focused on reproductive health programs in asia and the pacific and the development of reproductive health policies in the united states. she has taught graduate and undergraduate-level courses at a number of universities, including a program evaluation course at brown university, a global reproductive health and rights seminar at princeton university, and a community organizing course at the university at buffalo.

wendy has published dozens of articles in biomedical journals and authored opinion pieces and letters in media outlets such as ms. magazine, the new york times, rewire and slate. she holds a phd in demography and public affairs from princeton university, an mph from the university of california, berkeley and an msw from the university of pennsylvania. she currently lives in new york with her husband and two teenage children.